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Al Jazeera - Shooting the messenger - 23-11-09

Category: Documentary
Description:
By Ian Stuttard Shooting the Messenger, Al Jazeera's documentary on the deliberate killing and intimidation of journalists in conflict zones, has been nominated for a presitigious Emmy award. In the past, members of the media were considered to be neutral in time of war. They were much like paramedics in the sense that their main concern was not victory, but saving lives. Two months ago Fadel Shana'a, a well-known cameraman with the Reuters news agency, was on a routine assignment east of the Gaza Strip to investigate reports that some villagers had been injured in an Israeli attack. On his way back from the village, he stopped his jeep to get some more video footage of the area. He was spotted by the Israeli military and shelled. Shana'a's jeep was clearly marked with the words 'Press' and 'TV'. Nevertheless, Israeli shell fire struck the jeep, tearing it apart. Fadel and three others died instantly. Shana'a's case is but one of many in recent years which has indicated that journalists reporting from conflict zones are no longer regarded as impartial by the combatants. As a result, increasing numbers of journalists have joined the casualty lists. The deliberate targeting of the press in war zones can probably be dated back to the Balkan conflict of the 1990's. When the shocking atrocities committed by the Serbs, Bosnian Muslims and Croats were filmed or reported, the media fell under suspicion, and was accused of supporting one faction against another. 'Embedding' A significant change occurred during the second invasion of Iraq in 2003 when, under the guise of protecting journalists, the military took the media firmly under its wing. This was called 'embedding' and meant that the journalist went where the military wanted them to go and saw what the military wanted them to see, in the hope that they would report what the military wanted them to report. In short, this was the military's effort to protect themselves. Terry Lloyd was a veteran reporter with Britain's ITN organisation and during the invasion he and his crew were one of the few independent, unembedded crews to operate inside Iraq. Caught in crossfire, Terry, his recordist and translator were killed by a deliberate but mistaken US onslaught. In 2006, while covering an attack on the revered al-Askari mosque in Samarra, Al Arabiya journalist Atwar Bhajat was abducted and later shot dead. Before joining Al Arabiya TV, Atwar worked for Al Jazeera, and was not that station's first loss. In April 2003, Sami al-Hajj, a Sudanese cameraman working for Al Jazeera, was seized by Pakistani forces on the Afghan border. He was held on suspicion of being involved in terrorism, and handed over to US forces who imprisoned him in their Guantanamo Bay base in Cuba. In May 2008, after almost seven years, he was released without charge. His lawyer, Clive Stafford-Smith, said: "...The folk[s] in Guantanamo honestly believe that Sami is a terrorist. They are crazy. He's no more a terrorist than my granny." Intimidation Elsewhere in the world, intimidation is a bigger threat to journalists than abduction. In Zimbabwe, after 28 years as president, Robert Mugabe, is clinging to power. Massive inflation, starvation and chaos has seen a third of the population flee abroad. The country's only real opposition voice in the media comes from outside. The Zimbabwean is a newspaper edited in England and printed in South Africa. There is also, for two hours a night, S W Radio Africa, which is intensely critical of the government, but broadcasts from London - 10,800km away. Across the border in Johannesburg, exiled journalists watch the accelerating destruction of their country, helpless spectators on the sidelines. "A number of journalists were being abducted, so it wasn't safe for me, especially as they [Zimbabwe's Central Intelligence Organisation] knew where I was staying and were constantly visiting my place, so I saw I was in danger and had to move out of the country," Trust Matsilele says. In Sri Lanka intimidation and threats to media workers have lead to the creation of a safe house for journalists to use as both a sanctuary and a work base. More than 100,000 people have been killed in the island's civil war since 1983, and the Tamil Tigers' exploitation of the suicide bomb made it the weapon of choice for extremists worldwide. There is no pretence of a free press here. The government considers any criticism of it as Tamil propaganda, bordering on treason. But dare attack the Tamils and you might never write again. Both sides in this war consider journalists to be their enemies and as Sanath Balasooriya, the president of the Free Media group, says: "The government thinks if we write the truth, they will lose public support for this war." Gaza Perhaps the most dangerous place for cameramen and reporters worldwide is the tiny, densely populated Palestinian territory of Gaza. Palestinians there are virtual prisoners, locked within their own borders, dependent on Israel for basic essentials such as food, water, medicine, fuel and power. The daily explosions, gunfire and missile attacks from Israeli incursions and Palestinian resistance have long been part of the Gaza routine. Palestinians know the value of propaganda pictures, as do the Israelis. Five years ago, Saira Shah and James Miller came to film the children of Gaza. They came under fire themselves and took refuge in a house nearby. That night, knowing they were surrounded by Israeli soldiers, Saira and James decided to leave - cautiously. Carrying a white flag and a torch, they identified themselves loudly as "British journalists". The response from Israeli snipers was several shots, one of which hit James in the neck and killed him. Saira said: "I don't know whether James was killed because he was a journalist or in spite of being a journalist. I know he was killed and he shouldn't have been killed." Targeted For news agency cameramen like Fadel Shana'a and Mahmoud Al Agaramey, days when they become the targets are unexceptional. They survive it one day and then go back again the next. Both men became legends in Gaza. Two years ago, Fadel was on his way to film the aftermath of an explosion in a village, when his jeep took a direct hit from a missile fired from an Israeli helicopter. The words 'TV' and 'PRESS' were painted in red on his vehicle, but they did not protect him. He was critically wounded but survived. Having had several narrow escapes, Mahmoud's luck almost ran out in Jebaliah. He was filming children goading an Israeli tank crew. Without warning, they fired a shell that narrowly missed the children, but the blast from the explosion flattened Mahmoud, and he was unconscious for six hours. The Erez Crossing at Beit Hanoun marks the border with Israel. For half a mile into Gaza all buildings, homes, offices and factories have been demolished. It is no man's land. Al Jazeera wanted to film there, but first we thought it wise to check with the Israeli military who were observing us from their watchtowers. There was no mistaking their answer: "Leave now or you will be shelled." We left. A few minutes later they shelled anyway, and hit another target - three students who had detoured through no man's land on their way home. Shana'a, passed us, already on his way to the hospital to film the aftermath of the shelling. But it was too late by the time we got there. Such deaths are common place in Gaza. Cameramen like Shana'a record every one of them and the mass mourning that follows. Two months on and Shana'a himself became the latest victim of the campaign against journalists. Journalists and cameramen like Shana'a and Al Agaramey risk their lives daily to bring us the news. The tragedy is that those who have so much to hide do what they can to prevent it and they shoot the messenger. Shana'a was a messenger, and as he put it: "I can't give up journalism. Only two things can stop me - if I die, or lose my legs."
Seeders: 1
Leeches: 26

The Listening Post - Media Black Spots – 2009 07 24 Al Jazeera

Category: News & Current Affairs
Description:
The Listening Post - Media Black Spots – 2009 07 24 Al Jazeera 207 mb/23min/mp4/Smaller Screen Viewing. Media 'hotspots' are the places where a free press is almost non-existent and independent media are either silenced by government forces, overpowered by state-owned broadcasters, or shut out of conflict zones, unable to report the story at all. We start this week's report with a look back at the coverage from Gaza - the media blockade, and the spin from within the war zone that was designed to mask the truth. This year also saw Sudan and the conflict in Darfur back in the media spotlight. When the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Omar al-Bashir, the president of Sudan, for war crimes, media coverage of the story was divided. The Arab world's reporting talked about the court's double standards, one set of rules for an Arab-African leader and another for Western politicians. But with the world's media almost entirely shut out of Sudan and the Sudanese government picking up their PR game , where do the facts end and the speculation begin about what is really happening in the troubled Darfur region? We also take you behind the coverage and the spin with five things you need to know about the Sudanese media. Journalists struggled to tell both sides of the story in Sri Lanka In part two of our show, we turn our attention to Sri Lanka and the struggle that journalists faced when trying to tell both sides of the story during the recent conflict and its aftermath. As the Sri Lankan government claimed final victory over the Tamil Tiger movement, a separate battle with the media was also being played out that saw censorship, intimidation and news blackouts become the norm. While reporting from the island was a struggle for the international media, Sri Lankan journalists also came under fire from the authorities, for speaking out against their government's military action. Our report will also look at the attacks against independent voices in Sri Lanka, and the influence of the government on the country's media outlets. Next week on our special feature series on media "hotspots", we will look at the steps the North Korean authorities are taking to control their media image. Source:http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/listeningpost/2009/07/200972283935744208.html Other shunster posts at:http://www.bt-chat.com/browse.php?category=11 Watch Al Jazeera Live: http://www.livestation.com/channels/3-al_jazeera_english or call your cable company anywhere. ------------ Content Type: [Documentary] [News]
Seeders: 11
Leeches: 2

Democracy Now! Monday, April 6, 2009

Category: Documentary
Description:
Today's Headlines At Least 179 Killed in Italian Earthquake Red Cross: US Medical Personnel Involved in Torture of Prisoners Report: Senate GOP Threatens to Block Nominees Over Torture Memo Obama: US Not at War with Islam US to Increase Use of Drones in Pakistan Gates Calls for Pentagon to Spend More on Counterinsurgency 122 Aid Workers Killed in 2008; Highest Total on Record Arkansas Democrat Opposes Employee Free Choice Act Hedge Fund Faces Charges Connected to Madoff Ponzi Fraud 15th Anniversary of Rwandan Genocide Marked Tamil Protesters Stage Protest in London British Police Accused of Hitting Man Who Died at G20 Protest Motorola Boycott Organizers Claim Victory Antarctic Ice Bridge Collapses Vermont Governor Vetoes Same-Sex Marriage Bill Supreme Court Denies Appeal for Death Row Prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal The Supreme Court has denied an appeal from the journalist and former Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal. On Monday, the court rejected without comment Abu-Jamal’s bid to overturn his conviction for the 1981 killing of a white police officer following a controversial trial before a predominantly white jury. Abu-Jamal contends the case was marred with racial bias, including the deliberate exclusion of blacks from the jury. “It shows you that precedent means nothing, that the law is politics by other means,” Abu-Jamal said in response to the ruling. A Roundtable of Local Florida Journalists on the Future of Newspapers, the Role of Community Media and Cubans in Florida As we broadcast from Tampa, Florida, we host a roundtable discussion about the state in Florida with Marty Petty, the executive vice president and publisher of the St. Petersburg Times, Florida’s largest newspaper; Patrick Manteiga, publisher and editor of La Gaceta Newspaper, one of the oldest minority-owned newspapers in the United States; and Rob Lorei, news director of community radio station WMNF. Florida Student Arrested by Immigration Three Days After Acquittal on Bomb Charges Immigration officials have arrested a twenty-three-year-old Florida student just three days after a jury acquitted him on federal explosives charges. Youssef Megahed was arrested in the parking lot of a Wal-Mart store Monday, where he had gone shopping with his father. He had just begun a fast to celebrate his acquittal. Megahed’s attorneys say he now faces deportation proceedings, apparently on the same charges for which he was found not guilty. [includes rush transcript] Guantanamo Attorneys Face Possible Prison Time for Letter to Obama Detailing Client's Allegations of Torture Attorneys Clive Stafford Smith and Ahmad Ghappour could face six months in a US prison because of a letter they sent to President Obama explaining their client’s allegations of torture by US agents. Smith and Ghappour represent Binyam Mohamed, the British resident recently released after seven years in US custody, where he claims he was repeatedly tortured, first in a secret CIA prison and later at Guantanamo.
Seeders: 104
Leeches: 13

Democracy Now! Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Category: News & Current Affairs
Description:
Today's Headlines Senate Begins Debate on Economic Stimulus Package Senate Stimulus Bill Includes $50 Billion for New Nuclear Reactors Macy’s Eliminates 7,000 Jobs Eric Holder Confirmed as Attorney General Ex-Chamber of Commerce Lobbyist Considered for Top Justice Post Daschle Apologizes for Failing to Pay Taxes Qaddafi Elected as Head of African Union Ehud Barak Proposes Linking Gaza to West Bank with 30-Mile Tunnel Israel Imposes Sanctions on Al Jazeera Brooklyn Man Jailed for Distributing Lebanese TV Channel Protester Throws Shoe at Chinese Premier Iceland’s New PM Becomes First Lesbian to Head a Nation US Court Dismisses Pacific Nuclear Test Lawsuits Earth First Protesters Jailed in Florida Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) Urges Homeowners to Stay in Foreclosed Homes After an $850 billion bailout for Wall Street and another $25 billion for the auto industry, struggling homeowners still await large-scale government assistance. The Obama administration says it’s working out the details of its plan to stem foreclosures. In the absence of government action so far, some are taking action on the local level. In Michigan, Wayne County Sheriff Warren Evans announced Monday he won’t enforce sales of foreclosed homes. And in Ohio, Rep. Marcy Kaptur is encouraging homeowners facing foreclosures to stay in their homes. Meanwhile, the government-backed mortgage giant Fannie Mae has agreed to restructure mortgages after a campaign led by one of its biggest critics, the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America. [includes rush transcript] Sri Lankan Military Intensifies Offensive Against Tamil Tigers; 13 Die in Hospital Shelling The Sri Lankan government offensive against the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels is continuing amidst growing concern for the fate of over 250,000 civilians trapped in the fighting. The Sri Lankan president declared Monday that the army was on the verge of crushing the rebels after a twenty-five-year war. The army’s attack has reduced the territory under rebel control from 7,000 square miles a year ago to just over 100 square miles today. [includes rush transcript]
Seeders: 120
Leeches: 30

Al Jazeera.Shooting.T he.Messenger.PdTV. XviD.c0H [RESEED]

Category: Documentary
Description:
Shooting the Messenger, Al Jazeera's documentary on the deliberate killing and intimidation of journalists in conflict zones, investigates how international reporters became targets. In the past, members of the media were considered to be neutral in time of war. They were much like paramedics in the sense that their main concern was not victory, but saving lives. Two months ago Fadel Shana'a, a well-known cameraman with the Reuters news agency, was on a routine assignment east of the Gaza Strip to investigate reports that some villagers had been injured in an Israeli attack. On his way back from the village, he stopped his jeep to get some more video footage of the area. He was spotted by the Israeli military and shelled. Shana'a's jeep was clearly marked with the words 'Press' and 'TV'. Nevertheless, Israeli shell fire struck the jeep, tearing it apart. Fadel and three others died instantly. Shana'a's case is but one of many in recent years which has indicated that journalists reporting from conflict zones are no longer regarded as impartial by the combatants. As a result, increasing numbers of journalists have joined the casualty lists. The deliberate targeting of the press in war zones can probably be dated back to the Balkan conflict of the 1990's. When the shocking atrocities committed by the Serbs, Bosnian Muslims and Croats were filmed or reported, the media fell under suspicion, and was accused of supporting one faction against another. 'Embedding' A significant change occurred during the second invasion of Iraq in 2003 when, under the guise of protecting journalists, the military took the media firmly under its wing. This was called 'embedding' and meant that the journalist went where the military wanted them to go and saw what the military wanted them to see, in the hope that they would report what the military wanted them to report. In short, this was the military's effort to protect themselves. With the 2003 invasion of Iraq, media crews began 'embedding' with the military. Terry Lloyd was a veteran reporter with Britain's ITN organisation and during the invasion he and his crew were one of the few independent, unembedded crews to operate inside Iraq. Caught in crossfire, Terry, his recordist and translator were killed by a deliberate but mistaken US onslaught. In 2006, while covering an attack on the revered al-Askari mosque in Samarra, Al Arabiya journalist Atwar Bhajat was abducted and later shot dead. Before joining Al Arabiya TV, Atwar worked for Al Jazeera, and was not that station's first loss. In April 2003, Sami al-Hajj, a Sudanese cameraman working for Al Jazeera, was seized by Pakistani forces on the Afghan border. He was held on suspicion of being involved in terrorism, and handed over to US forces who imprisoned him in their Guantanamo Bay base in Cuba. In May 2008, after almost seven years, he was released without charge. His lawyer, Clive Stafford-Smith, said: "...The folk[s] in Guantanamo honestly believe that Sami is a terrorist. They are crazy. He's no more a terrorist than my granny." Intimidation Elsewhere in the world, intimidation is a bigger threat to journalists than abduction. In Zimbabwe, after 28 years as president, Robert Mugabe, is clinging to power. Massive inflation, starvation and chaos has seen a third of the population flee abroad. The country's only real opposition voice in the media comes from outside. The Zimbabwean is a newspaper edited in England and printed in South Africa. There is also, for two hours a night, S W Radio Africa, which is intensely critical of the government, but broadcasts from London - 10,800km away. Across the border in Johannesburg, exiled journalists watch the accelerating destruction of their country, helpless spectators on the sidelines. "A number of journalists were being abducted, so it wasn't safe for me, especially as they [Zimbabwe's Central Intelligence Organisation] knew where I was staying and were constantly visiting my place, so I saw I was in danger and had to move out of the country," Trust Matsilele says. In Sri Lanka intimidation and threats to media workers have lead to the creation of a safe house for journalists to use as both a sanctuary and a work base. More than 100,000 people have been killed in the island's civil war since 1983, and the Tamil Tigers' exploitation of the suicide bomb made it the weapon of choice for extremists worldwide. There is no pretence of a free press here. The government considers any criticism of it as Tamil propaganda, bordering on treason. But dare attack the Tamils and you might never write again. Both sides in this war consider journalists to be their enemies and as Sanath Balasooriya, the president of the Free Media group, says: "The government thinks if we write the truth, they will lose public support for this war." Gaza Perhaps the most dangerous place for cameramen and reporters worldwide is the tiny, densely populated Palestinian territory of Gaza. Palestinians there are virtual prisoners, locked within their own borders, dependent on Israel for basic essentials such as food, water, medicine, fuel and power. The daily explosions, gunfire and missile attacks from Israeli incursions and Palestinian resistance have long been part of the Gaza routine. Palestinians know the value of propaganda pictures, as do the Israelis. Five years ago, Saira Shah and James Miller came to film the children of Gaza. They came under fire themselves and took refuge in a house nearby. That night, knowing they were surrounded by Israeli soldiers, Saira and James decided to leave - cautiously. Carrying a white flag and a torch, they identified themselves loudly as "British journalists". The response from Israeli snipers was several shots, one of which hit James in the neck and killed him. Saira said: "I don't know whether James was killed because he was a journalist or in spite of being a journalist. I know he was killed and he shouldn't have been killed." Targeted For news agency cameramen like Fadel Shana'a and Mahmoud Al Agaramey, days when they become the targets are unexceptional. They survive it one day and then go back again the next. Fadel Shana'a, a Reuters cameraman, became the story when he was killed by Israeli shelling. Both men became legends in Gaza. Two years ago, Fadel was on his way to film the aftermath of an explosion in a village, when his jeep took a direct hit from a missile fired from an Israeli helicopter. The words 'TV' and 'PRESS' were painted in red on his vehicle, but they did not protect him. He was critically wounded but survived. Having had several narrow escapes, Mahmoud's luck almost ran out in Jebaliah. He was filming children goading an Israeli tank crew. Without warning, they fired a shell that narrowly missed the children, but the blast from the explosion flattened Mahmoud, and he was unconscious for six hours. The Erez Crossing at Beit Hanoun marks the border with Israel. For half a mile into Gaza all buildings, homes, offices and factories have been demolished. It is no man's land. Al Jazeera wanted to film there, but first we thought it wise to check with the Israeli military who were observing us from their watchtowers. There was no mistaking their answer: "Leave now or you will be shelled." We left. A few minutes later they shelled anyway, and hit another target - three students who had detoured through no man's land on their way home. Shana'a, passed us, already on his way to the hospital to film the aftermath of the shelling. But it was too late by the time we got there. Such deaths are common place in Gaza. Cameramen like Shana'a record every one of them and the mass mourning that follows. Two months on and Shana'a himself became the latest victim of the campaign against journalists. Journalists and cameramen like Shana'a and Al Agaramey risk their lives daily to bring us the news. The tragedy is that those who have so much to hide do what they can to prevent it and they shoot the messenger. Shana'a was a messenger, and as he put it: "I can't give up journalism. Only two things can stop me - if I die, or lose my legs." Reseeded by Request Please help by seeding this torrent
Seeders: 11
Leeches: 4

Al Jazeera - Shooting The Messenger

Category: Documentary
Description:
Shooting the Messenger, Al Jazeera's documentary on the deliberate killing and intimidation of journalists in conflict zones, investigates how international reporters became targets. In the past, members of the media were considered to be neutral in time of war. They were much like paramedics in the sense that their main concern was not victory, but saving lives. Two months ago Fadel Shana'a, a well-known cameraman with the Reuters news agency, was on a routine assignment east of the Gaza Strip to investigate reports that some villagers had been injured in an Israeli attack. On his way back from the village, he stopped his jeep to get some more video footage of the area. He was spotted by the Israeli military and shelled. Shana'a's jeep was clearly marked with the words 'Press' and 'TV'. Nevertheless, Israeli shell fire struck the jeep, tearing it apart. Fadel and three others died instantly. Shana'a's case is but one of many in recent years which has indicated that journalists reporting from conflict zones are no longer regarded as impartial by the combatants. As a result, increasing numbers of journalists have joined the casualty lists. The deliberate targeting of the press in war zones can probably be dated back to the Balkan conflict of the 1990's. When the shocking atrocities committed by the Serbs, Bosnian Muslims and Croats were filmed or reported, the media fell under suspicion, and was accused of supporting one faction against another. 'Embedding' A significant change occurred during the second invasion of Iraq in 2003 when, under the guise of protecting journalists, the military took the media firmly under its wing. This was called 'embedding' and meant that the journalist went where the military wanted them to go and saw what the military wanted them to see, in the hope that they would report what the military wanted them to report. In short, this was the military's effort to protect themselves. With the 2003 invasion of Iraq, media crews began 'embedding' with the military Terry Lloyd was a veteran reporter with Britain's ITN organisation and during the invasion he and his crew were one of the few independent, unembedded crews to operate inside Iraq. Caught in crossfire, Terry, his recordist and translator were killed by a deliberate but mistaken US onslaught. In 2006, while covering an attack on the revered al-Askari mosque in Samarra, Al Arabiya journalist Atwar Bhajat was abducted and later shot dead. Before joining Al Arabiya TV, Atwar worked for Al Jazeera, and was not that station's first loss. In April 2003, Sami al-Hajj, a Sudanese cameraman working for Al Jazeera, was seized by Pakistani forces on the Afghan border. He was held on suspicion of being involved in terrorism, and handed over to US forces who imprisoned him in their Guantanamo Bay base in Cuba. In May 2008, after almost seven years, he was released without charge. His lawyer, Clive Stafford-Smith, said: "...The folk[s] in Guantanamo honestly believe that Sami is a terrorist. They are crazy. He's no more a terrorist than my granny." Intimidation Elsewhere in the world, intimidation is a bigger threat to journalists than abduction. In Zimbabwe, after 28 years as president, Robert Mugabe, is clinging to power. Massive inflation, starvation and chaos has seen a third of the population flee abroad. The country's only real opposition voice in the media comes from outside. The Zimbabwean is a newspaper edited in England and printed in South Africa. There is also, for two hours a night, S W Radio Africa, which is intensely critical of the government, but broadcasts from London - 10,800km away. Across the border in Johannesburg, exiled journalists watch the accelerating destruction of their country, helpless spectators on the sidelines. "A number of journalists were being abducted, so it wasn't safe for me, especially as they [Zimbabwe's Central Intelligence Organisation] knew where I was staying and were constantly visiting my place, so I saw I was in danger and had to move out of the country," Trust Matsilele says. In Sri Lanka intimidation and threats to media workers have lead to the creation of a safe house for journalists to use as both a sanctuary and a work base. More than 100,000 people have been killed in the island's civil war since 1983, and the Tamil Tigers' exploitation of the suicide bomb made it the weapon of choice for extremists worldwide. There is no pretence of a free press here. The government considers any criticism of it as Tamil propaganda, bordering on treason. But dare attack the Tamils and you might never write again. Both sides in this war consider journalists to be their enemies and as Sanath Balasooriya, the president of the Free Media group, says: "The government thinks if we write the truth, they will lose public support for this war." Gaza Perhaps the most dangerous place for cameramen and reporters worldwide is the tiny, densely populated Palestinian territory of Gaza. Palestinians there are virtual prisoners, locked within their own borders, dependent on Israel for basic essentials such as food, water, medicine, fuel and power. The daily explosions, gunfire and missile attacks from Israeli incursions and Palestinian resistance have long been part of the Gaza routine. Palestinians know the value of propaganda pictures, as do the Israelis. Five years ago, Saira Shah and James Miller came to film the children of Gaza. They came under fire themselves and took refuge in a house nearby. That night, knowing they were surrounded by Israeli soldiers, Saira and James decided to leave - cautiously. Carrying a white flag and a torch, they identified themselves loudly as "British journalists". The response from Israeli snipers was several shots, one of which hit James in the neck and killed him. Saira said: "I don't know whether James was killed because he was a journalist or in spite of being a journalist. I know he was killed and he shouldn't have been killed." Targeted For news agency cameramen like Fadel Shana'a and Mahmoud Al Agaramey, days when they become the targets are unexceptional. They survive it one day and then go back again the next. Fadel Shana'a, a Reuters cameraman, became the story when he was killed by Israeli shelling Both men became legends in Gaza. Two years ago, Fadel was on his way to film the aftermath of an explosion in a village, when his jeep took a direct hit from a missile fired from an Israeli helicopter. The words 'TV' and 'PRESS' were painted in red on his vehicle, but they did not protect him. He was critically wounded but survived. Having had several narrow escapes, Mahmoud's luck almost ran out in Jebaliah. He was filming children goading an Israeli tank crew. Without warning, they fired a shell that narrowly missed the children, but the blast from the explosion flattened Mahmoud, and he was unconscious for six hours. The Erez Crossing at Beit Hanoun marks the border with Israel. For half a mile into Gaza all buildings, homes, offices and factories have been demolished. It is no man's land. Al Jazeera wanted to film there, but first we thought it wise to check with the Israeli military who were observing us from their watchtowers. There was no mistaking their answer: "Leave now or you will be shelled." We left. A few minutes later they shelled anyway, and hit another target - three students who had detoured through no man's land on their way home. Shana'a, passed us, already on his way to the hospital to film the aftermath of the shelling. But it was too late by the time we got there. Such deaths are common place in Gaza. Cameramen like Shana'a record every one of them and the mass mourning that follows. Two months on and Shana'a himself became the latest victim of the campaign against journalists. Journalists and cameramen like Shana'a and Al Agaramey risk their lives daily to bring us the news. The tragedy is that those who have so much to hide do what they can to prevent it and they shoot the messenger. Shana'a was a messenger, and as he put it: "I can't give up journalism. Only two things can stop me - if I die, or lose my legs." Excellent quality TV Rip - Please help by seeding .c0H
Seeders: 5
Leeches: 10

Harsh Beauty (2005)

Category: Documentary
Description:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0482520/ Harsh Beauty (2005) Category: Documentaries Regions: South Asia Topics: Women / Gender / Sexuality, Human Rights For centuries, Eunuchs have been an important part of Indian society. But the elevated role they once held has now faded. Today they live in isolated communities, working as prostitutes and beggars. Life may be hard but inside the community, there’s a real sense of warmth and camaraderie. Harsh Beauty follows the lives of Jyothi, Usha and Hira Bai, three Eunuchs who struggle for acceptance in a culture splintered by religion, caste and politics. Filmed over four years and accompanied by a vibrant soundtrack, it’s a warm and poignant look inside this usually hidden group. LinkTV sdtv divx rip 1 hr Country: India / USA Language: Tamil / English / Hindi English sub
Seeders: 2
Leeches: 10

Unreported World~Sri Lanka Killing For Peace 2007 11 09 avi

Category: Documentary
Description:
Unreported World~Sri Lanka Killing For Peace 2007 11 09 avi Reporter Sandra Jordan and director Siobhan Sinnerton travel to northern Sri Lanka and uncover the government's heavy-handed tactics in the latest stage of the country's 30-year civil war. As the first foreign journalists to visit the city of Jaffna, Jordan and Sinnerton discover that the government has abandoned the ceasefire signed in 2002 in favour of a military campaign against the rebel Tamil Tigers - with many innocent civilians paying the price. The Sri Lankan Civil War is an ongoing conflict on the island-nation of Sri Lanka. Since the year 1983, there has been on-and-off civil war, predominantly between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE, also known as the Tamil Tigers), a separatist militant organization who fight to create an independent state named Tamil Eelam in the North and East of the island. The origins of the Sri Lankan civil war lie in sharp disagreements over language, access to universities, and riots between Sri Lanka's majority Sinhalese, mostly Buddhist, and minority Tamil, mostly Hindu, community. These gradually but continuously escalated from the 1920s until the outbreak of civil war in 1983. ©¦ Air Date: Same as release date. ©¦ Release Date: 09/11/2007 ©¦ Format: XviD 2 Pass ©¦ Video: 640 x 352 @ 25fps ©¦ Audio: VBR MP3 ~128k pdtv.xvid-remax shunster repost and combo description
Seeders: 0
Leeches: 0

Democracy Now! Monday, November 5, 2007 H.264 MP4

Category: News & Current Affairs
Description:
Democracy Now!, a daily independent newshour Headlines for November 5, 2007 Pakistan's Musharraf Gets U.S. Backing for Crackdown Just Days Before Court Decision on Case Challenging His Rule French Journalist Henri Alleg Describes His Torture Being Waterboarded by French Forces During Algerian War Assassination of Tamil Leader Prompts Fears of Escalated Sri Lankan Civil War
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Leeches: 0